System and method for enhanced messaging including a displayable status indicator relating to another user and an associated playlist or webpage

• US 7,725,551 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energetic Power Investment Limited
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schiro, Pierre, Dhomse, Vinod P., Beaupre, Todd, Szeto, Christopher T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell; Robert B
• Application Number:
  US11/937,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A system and method for enhancing the experience of a user using a communication program over the Internet or other network. The system and method according to one embodiment utilizes a user'"'"'s status indicator in a communication program to share content such as music or videos among users. One system and method according to the present invention allows a user to display an indicator and to set an actionable status message which indicates to other users the media content that the first user is experiencing. In another embodiment, a user is given the ability to access content that other users are listening to or viewing at that time. The system and method in an alternate embodiment broadcast metadata about the user'"'"'s content to other users and the other users are able to utilize that metadata to receive and experience the same or similar content that the first user is experiencing.

Claims

1. An instant messaging program user interface displayed on a display of a first computing device, the user interface executing on the first computing device and comprising:

a list of selected users and a media player portion visibly displayed to a first user on the display of the first computing device, wherein the list of selected users further comprises;

a user identifier identifying a second user of the messaging program using a second computing device; and

a selectable status indicator displayed adjacent to the user identifier, the status indicator identifying a playlist title, the playlist title representing a playlist created by the second user, the playlist comprising a plurality of media items, the plurality comprising second user media that the second user is experiencing at a time the status indicator is displayed, wherein selection of the status indicator enables experience of one or more of the plural media items of the playlist.

2. A computer system for providing an enhanced experience to a communication program user comprising:

a first user communication program made available by a service provider and stored on a first computer readable medium, the first program executing on a first computing device;

a second user communication program made available by the service provider and stored on a second computer readable medium, the second program executing on a second computing device;

a messaging server in communication with said first program executing on the first computing device and said second program executing on the second computing device, which messaging server provides to a second user a status indicator associated with an identifier of a first user in a selected user list displayed to the second user, the status indicator associated with the first user and identifying a playlist title, the playlist title representing a playlist created by the first user, the playlist comprising a plurality of media items, the plurality comprising media content being experienced by the first user at a time the status indicator is provided, wherein selection of the status indicator by the second user enables experience of one or more of the plural media items associated with the playlist, the status indicator displayed to the second user being changed dynamically based on a change in playlist being experienced by the first user; and

a media server that communicates with said messaging server and selectively sends media content to the second user after the second user interacts with the status indicator.

3. An instant messaging program user interface displayed on a display of a first computing device, the user interface executing on the first computing device and comprising:

a list of selected users and a media player visibly displayed to a first user on the display of the first computing device, wherein the list of selected users further comprises;

a user identifier identifying a second user of the messaging program using a second computing device; and

a selectable status indicator displayed adjacent to the user identifier, the status indicator representing a URI of a webpage being viewed by the second user on the second computing device at a time the status indicator is displayed, wherein selection of the status indicator enables experience of the webpage, and wherein the status indicator is changed dynamically based on a change in webpage being experienced by the second user.